


Ringing In Your Ears

by CapriciouslyDoomed



Category: Homestuck
Genre: F/M, Pre-Sburb/Sgrub
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-15
Updated: 2013-01-15
Packaged: 2017-11-25 16:00:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/640576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CapriciouslyDoomed/pseuds/CapriciouslyDoomed
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was just like any other day when you found him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ringing In Your Ears

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Peregrine (peregr1ne on Tumblr) for drawing the illustrations :)

It was just like any other day when you found him.

You had spent the morning, afternoon, and evening looking through some particularly interesting ruins, and are walking home. The sun will be up soon, and your lusus is probably going to wonder what happened. So on you walk; turning a corner here or there until you find yourself walking past an old cave. It's well lit, and one that you surprisingly haven't been in yet.

You glance up at the sky: a deep blue that contrasts the stars.

Tomorrow, you decide. Whatever is in there will have to wait.

Until, you hear a sniffing. It echoes throughout the cave. Sighing, you set down your basket, and put on your fedora.

It's time to go exploring.

Small markings cover the caves walls, and – as much as you'd like to stop and try to read them – the voice at the end of the cave urges you forward.

When you finally get there you see a small troll curled up in the corner. Hands brought up to his head, you watch as he squirms – still whimpering quietly. Red and blue psiionics crackle around his eyes dangerously. They remind you of small bolts of lightning, flickering on and off every so often. The troll hasn't noticed you yet, and honestly you're a bit happy about that. You aren't entirely sure what's going to happen when he does see you, but you know it probably isn't going to be good. Especially with all of the energy he's already using to restrain himself. Still, you can't stop standing there and watching.

 

However, that's when you see his mouth moving. And… yes, he's muttering to himself. He pauses to look up at you. Glancing from your face to your shirt and back to your face again. Apparently your maroon symbol doesn't make you a threat, because all he does is tell you to go away.

You sit. Now only a couple of feet away, you can see yellow tears in his eyes as he stares at you with disbelief.

"What, are you deaf?"

You don't answer, but instead give him a small smile. Enough to be friendly, but not insulting. "Hi."

"I said go away." His voice snaps at you; echoing through the space slightly.

It's starting to get noticeably lighter in the cave. Enough that you know it really  _is_  time to get going. Grabbing your fedora, you put it on before standing up.

"Do you think you'll be back tomorrow? I could bring some food to share, if you'd like." You aren't sure why you're being so nice to him - especially after he snapped at you. But a small part of you figures if he was going to kill you, he would have already.

The troll just goes back to ignoring you, though. Too busy wiping the tears from his cheeks.

As you leave the cave, you make sure to look back a couple of times.

~

When you go back the next day, he isn't there. The only evidence left behind is turned over dirt from his footsteps.

And he isn't there the day after that either. Or even the one after that. A small part of you wonders if he was just your imagination. Some wishful thinking on your own part. Regardless, you show up at the same time each day, faced with an empty cave. But that's okay, because when he isn't there you take time trying to decipher the drawings on the walls.

They aren't like anything you've seen before. Using strange symbols rather than the drawings you're used to. Some are recognizable, others remain completely foreign. Sometimes you write them down just to compare to the other ruins you've searched. But still: nothing.

You lose track of how long you've been looking through the cave; but pretty soon nearly all of it is memorized. Although you still aren't sure what half of it means.

It's raining when he shows up again. You're covering your Crosbytop and shaking water off of your fedora when you find him. Sitting there, curled up, just like last time.

Both of you freeze when seeing each other.

"Oh, hi." You greet, before turning to the wall. "So you're back?"

He doesn't answer. The crackling isn't as bad as last time, and quickly sinks to the back of your mind. Almost like accompaniment as you hum to yourself.

That is, until he starts muttering again. Spinning around from your place near the entrance, you frown.

"Is everything okay down there?" Your question doesn't get an answer.

By the time you get to him, the troll is clutching at his head again. Very hesitantly, you sit in front of him and reach out to touch his leg. The fabric is worn and soft under your fingers.

He pauses to look at you questioningly. Honestly, you're surprised he didn't yell again.

"It's okay." You speak softly, trying to keep this strange calmness that's swept over him. "Are they very loud?"

He stays silent.

"I'm talking about the voices."

He sniffles and wipes his nose before sitting up a bit straighter. "Yes." There's a lisp in his voice, and you have to hold back a smile.

"I can hear them, too."

Closing his eyes, he makes a face of frustration. "They won't shut the fuck  _up_. I keep telling them to, but they won't listen."

Reaching out, you open your hand to shake his. He seems hesitant as first, but takes it.

"I'm Aradia."

"Sollux."

It comes out as more of a 'Thollux', however you make sure not to comment on that. Instead, you nod. "Do you want me to help?"

Slowly Sollux nods. Almost immediately you're shuffling over to sit beside him. Straightening your legs and smoothing your skirt, you get him to rest his head on your lap.

 

 

Your hand rubs smooth circles on his shoulder, and you can't see it but you're fairly certain he's squeezing his eyes shut. Quietly, you let yourself begin to hum. It's a tune off of the top of your head; possibly something you've heard when younger. Either way, it seems to work. By the time you've finished, Sollux is asleep and the sun is about to rise again.

~

He shows up the next day. As well as the day after that. And so on, until it becomes nearly a routine. Until it's become an unspoken agreement that the two of you are friends.

Sollux meets you at the cave, and the two of you spend the day (or rather, night) together. Sometimes he'll even join you to go through other ruins. Helping you to do the two-person jobs that otherwise you'd be struggling with; or sometimes even just sitting around making fun of whatever errors other people before you have made. It's nice to have the company, though.

To be humming, and to have someone else there to listen.

 


End file.
